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Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

wsj.com

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Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#31

Post by abnercoimbre »

xp84 wrote: post #16

Reading this on WSJ is interesting. Having been raised in a very working-class family, but now being fortunate enough to have a stock portfolio, I'm struck by how romantic a business like this (or the other small business entrepreneurs I see on YouTube, such as a guy who runs laundromats and car washes) is to me -- I guess just by how straightforward the business model is and how it appears (at first glance) to be so…

> it is probably no better than what my savings is doing right now in various stocks and funds.

From a numbers perspective sure. When we talk about social ramifications and future business potential — the calculus changes entirely: this guy got a cover in the WSJ, for example.

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#33

Post by MilStdJunkie »

Have people not heard of depreciation, maintenance, restocking?

Oh. Oh waitaminute I see the angle here. Mining company shares to goldbugs, substandard shovels and rations to 49ers, stakes in stablecoin exchanges to the common techbro, and now, at last, "ISO-Certified Vend Automation Accreditation Training" where you can get all the tools you need to STRIKE IT BIG. Then you can rope in more people with the scam, and they can rope in more people yadda yadda yadda

Another goddamn grift . . did we really need another? . . in search of the last dregs of pocket change lost in the American cushions. Looking for actual returns that aren't sacked with fees and conditions, everyone wondering, with an ever-growing suspicion, that all the new clever retirement "vehicles"[1] they've been dumping money in their entire lives will grow mysteriously inaccessible, in a suspiciously timely fashion, until they are all dead.

Shit. Put up a vending machine that dispenses Quietus pills, then you might get some business.

Forgive my cynicism, please. It's not a luxury I can afford at the moment.

[1] Which not-so-coincidentally inflate the market valuation of the same industries employing them. Jesus Christ, did anyone think for twenty seconds about the follow-on effects of that? Whelp. Too late now.

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#34

Post by masteruvpuppetz »

pram wrote: post #10

I looked into doing this in the 2010s and it’s really an enormous pain in the ass to scale. A lot of the turnkey options were pretty much scams too. Machines that vended DVDs were popular back then. You have to find the hot spots, negotiate for the space, deal with any vandalism, reload the machines, respond to problems. Not what many would consider “passive”

I guess the Gold Vending Machine in Dubai is not for you then :)

[https://whatson.ae/2023/08/the-uaes-wildest-vending-machines...]

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#35

Post by ethbr1 »

coredog64 wrote: post #14
pram wrote: post #10

I looked into doing this in the 2010s and it’s really an enormous pain in the ass to scale. A lot of the turnkey options were pretty much scams too. Machines that vended DVDs were popular back then. You have to find the hot spots, negotiate for the space, deal with any vandalism, reload the machines, respond to problems. Not what many would consider “passive”

When machines were cash only you could theoretically avoid taxes on some of the income, something that might have offset some of the hassles. With credit cards and electronic payment that’s not really possible.

When machines were cash only, there was a big box of cash sitting unguarded on a lonely corner at 3am...

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#36

Post by ineedaj0b »

MilStdJunkie wrote: post #33

Have people not heard of depreciation, maintenance, restocking? Oh. Oh waitaminute I see the angle here. Mining company shares to goldbugs, substandard shovels and rations to 49ers, stakes in stablecoin exchanges to the common techbro, and now, at last, "ISO-Certified Vend Automation Accreditation Training" where you can get all the tools you need to STRIKE IT BIG. Then you can rope in more people with the scam, and…

The Japanese have numerous vending machines of high quality that offer decent prices with good selections of food.

Perhaps it is in our Future in America too

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#37

Post by gruez »

MilStdJunkie wrote: post #33

Have people not heard of depreciation, maintenance, restocking? Oh. Oh waitaminute I see the angle here. Mining company shares to goldbugs, substandard shovels and rations to 49ers, stakes in stablecoin exchanges to the common techbro, and now, at last, "ISO-Certified Vend Automation Accreditation Training" where you can get all the tools you need to STRIKE IT BIG. Then you can rope in more people with the scam, and…

>Looking for actual returns that aren't sacked with fees and conditions

The Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF[1] has 12.0% annualized returns over the past decade, and only charges 0.03% in management fees.

[1] https://investor.vanguard.com/investment-products/etfs/profi...

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#38

Post by ethbr1 »

cozzyd wrote: post #3

I hope we reach the vending machine density of Japan.... Was extremely helpful to have a vending machine every 10 m when it was 40C outside with extreme humidity last summer when I was there.

The most surreal thing about Tokyo (and there were a lot) was having Tommy Lee Jones' grizzled visage staring back at me from every street corner.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=japan+boss+vending+tommy+lee+jones...

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#39

Post by floren »

ethbr1 wrote: post #35
coredog64 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When machines were cash only you could theoretically avoid taxes on some of the income, something that might have offset some of the hassles. With credit cards and electronic payment that’s not really possible.

When machines were cash only, there was a big box of cash sitting unguarded on a lonely corner at 3am...

I've drilled out the lock on an old Coke machine my dad bought at an auction.

It's not a fast, discreet, or easy process.

Re: Chasing Passive Income, Americans Turn to Vending Machines

#40

Post by ethbr1 »

CydeWeys wrote: post #21
planet_1649c wrote: post #13

Considering how much people steal in walmart, i dont see this going well unless this is mainly added in secured places

It's much harder to steal out of a vending machine than it is to grab something off a shelf in a store and walk out.

With sufficient value?

A pickup truck, a stout chain, and one of crowbar / sledgehammer / angle grinder / cutting torch goes through that right quick.

And there's a lot of economically depressed parts of the country where those things are in abundance.

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